Since joining us at the end of May 2000, Laureano Bisan-Etame, shortly after winning the African Nations Cup with Cameroon, Lauren has won 2 Premiership titles and 3 FA Cups (including the double in 2002). He also won an Olympic gold medal while at Arsenal. Perhaps his greatest achievement though was being a key part of the 49ers - the squad which set a new record of 49 unbeaten league games including the whole of the 2003-04 season. That or being the most severely-punished of the players brought up before the FA on violence charges at Old Trafford in 2003. The little kick at Quentin Fortune, the push on penalty-missing chump Ruud van Nistelrooy's back, and squaring up to him and Ryan Giggs at the final whistle, may have cost him £40,000 and a 4 match ban, but helped secure a place in our hearts. This man cared.

His last year at the club has however been blighted by an injury, suffered almost exactly a year ago, and which sadly means that we'll miss the chance to give a send-off to a man who has been a truly great player for the club. His last match for the club was the 2-1 win over Wigan at Highbury on 24th January 2006, the second leg of a League Cup semi which we lost on aggregate.

Arriving as a central midfielder (a role he continued to fill for Cameroon, till retiring early from international football), he was soon converted to right back in what was possibly the greatest of Wenger's role-change master-strokes.

He'll be remembered for many things, including some rather over-the-top challenges and an 86th minute penalty which beat Tottenham at Highbury in that 2002 double season.

Earlier this week it was reported that Lauren had turned down a move to struggling West Ham United, amid rumours that he favoured a return to Spain (we signed him from Real Mallorca). But instead he has joined Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth side, where he will join up once more with Sol Campbell and Kanu (assuming the latter stays there, there are rumours about PSV Eindhoven wanting him). Lauren joins Pompey on a 2 aand a half year contract for an undisclosed fee.

Of course we'd all been hoping that Lauren would come back from this injury. There have been times this season when we really needed players of his character and experience. But there's no getting away from the fact that his form had started to dip a bit before getting injured, and that he'd have struggled to get back past Emmanuel Eboue and Justin Hoyte in the pecking order. Next season we have the possibility of Kerrea Gilbert too. But we would have used him, if we'd kept pushing on all 4 fronts, and the fact that Arsenal let him go now is a reflection of how valued he is. No-one at the club would want to do wrong by him, and now that he is back from his year long injury what he needs is to play.

As Arsene Wenger says, "Lauren's contribution to Arsenal since he joined the Club in 2000 has been absolutely outstanding. He has been a central figure in the Club winning the Premiership twice and the FA Cup three times and his high level of performances have made sure that he will always have a place in Arsenal history." Arseweb joins Le Boss in wishing him the best of luck at Portsmouth, where he faces competition at right back from Glen Johnson but where his versatility will probably see him get a game somewhere even if not in the role he made his own at Highbury..

Lauren's sad too. "I have made many great friends and have many wonderful memories from the years I have spent at Arsenal. I have enjoyed great success with the Club and I am very grateful to Arsène Wenger, my team mates and all the fantastic Arsenal fans for their support. The fans have been brilliant."

Today is Lauren's 30th birthday.

Arsenal will play Portsmouth (at Fratton Park) on the last day of the season.